There is no doubt that getting melted filament stuck on the nozzle of your 3D printer can get quite annoying. This holds particularly true because it can be hard to very hard to clean properly.
Many of not most people who are into 3D printing tend to go through this annoying difficulty of their filament sticking to the nozzle. This is irrespective of the fact that they use PLA, ABS, or PETG. However, it is possible to get excellent results on the build plate. You just have got to make sure that the nozzle is always clean. This applies to any number of 3D printers currently available in the market.
You might have tried various methods to clean the nozzle, but few of them work properly, except the tried and tested ones posted below.
Some of the possible causes of this include the following ones:
- Nozzle too close to the plate (most common reason)
- Clogging in the nozzle
- Bad or plate temperature is not high enough
Before you start printing, you will have to take a quick look at all of these issues to ensure that your filament does not stick to the nozzle at all during the printing process.
Nozzle too close to the bed or plate
One of the best ways of getting rid of this issue is to check the distance of the extruder from the print plate. Having your nozzle too close to the print bed or plate is probably one of the most common issues that cause the filament material to stick to the nozzle.
This is due to the fact that the nozzle requires a certain amount of pressure onto the printer’s print plate in order to properly extrude the material. If it is sitting too low to the bed, it will start curling all around the nozzle and sticking to its tip.
How to fix this issue?
This is what you have to do:
- First you have to check the height of the nozzle in relation to the print bed
- If it is riding too low, you have to start adjusting the height so that it starts sitting higher from the build surface.
- You also have to make good and sure that your 3D printer bed has been leveled properly, either with an automated leveling system or manually. In case the print refuses to stick to the printer bed, you may consider using a glue stick.
Clogged Nozzle
If the nozzle is clogged, the filament will definitely stick to the nozzle.
You can start this important step even before commencing your builds in the first place. You can even make this nozzle cleaning process an important part of the whole pre-printing checklist.
How to Fix this Problem
There are various methods you can use to clean out the nozzle of the printer so that your filament will flow smoothly and create amazing builds.
- You can try cleaning it with a needle by pushing it inside the nozzle. If you do it properly enough, you will be able to break the printing material particles down, in case they are blocking it. You may have to repeat this process again and again if the nozzle is completely clogged.
- Try to use a hot or cold pull through to clean out the nozzle as thoroughly as possible
- Get any good quality branded PTFE Tubing for a smoother extrusion path
- You need to check adhesion levels if your printing machine is new. A new 3D printer may also have its temperature set at the wrong temperature
- Also check to see in case your printer nozzle has been damaged
- Confirm that there are no bends at the nozzle tip
- When it reaches the desired temperature, you should pull it and repeat this process until you clean filament starts coming out of the tip
Temperature is Too Low
Filament usually sticks much better to the print bed when there is a certain level of heat involved. For instance, various materials like PLA are known for their propensity to release the build from the bed on their own. In such a case an increase in temperature won’t help since a heated bed is not deemed necessary to stick the build to the printing plate.
However, increasing the temperature of the surface will definitely help out. This holds particularly true in case you need to get rid of the sticky filament issue.
How to Fix this Issue?
- You should consider trying to increase the bed temperature for considerably better adhesion of all of your 3D prints
- You should also refrain from using the printer’s cooling fans for the first layer of your print
This last is when your filament starts getting cooler it is likely that you will experience a small amount of shrinkage in and near the nozzle tip. If left to its own devices it would not give you the very best results, at least as far as the very first layer is concerned.
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Conclusion
In light of the above we can easily deduce that sticky filaments are a bit of a nuisance when it comes to creating state of the art 3D prints Not only do they mar the finish of the end product, but at the same time they also create hindrances to the smooth flow of the material from the extruder to the object being 3D printed on the building surface.
However, following the above steps will go a long way in effectively ensuring that your prints remain trouble free and easily detachable and your 3D printer’s nozzle continues to extrude as well as it ever did before, when it was first purchased.
If the above remedies still don’t work, you could consider overhauling the whole extruder of your printer. If the problem is fixed you may share it on an online post on a forum. Maybe, this way you will be able to help others with a similar topic. You can also check any number of online posts regarding this printing problem for people who have resolved it ages ago.
